"Sooner or later, they always forget about the Cameras." The Suit whoíd just
arrived the night before comments to the tech inside the big step van
monitoring all the cameras in the cottage.

"She doesnít." The tech says quietly; heíd been there from the very set up.
The situation is fun but kind of freaky too. "Mrs. Ashton has the bunkhouse
swept daily for bugs and cameras. And she didnít make a secret of it even from
the very beginning. She was looking for an excuse to get us gone and any
violation of the contract would have given her a reason. We got the one pass
through there just to get the lay of the land, take some back ground shots and
then it was off limits."

"Damn. If she knows the cameras are there then what is she like when they
arenít?"

"Probably quieter." The guy puts his hand out for a high five and gets a quick
slap. "Even that is calculated, Man. There is no way any of this could be cut
to make it onto basic cable. And Jees. Who knew a bubblegum rocker like Ned
Eddie Maine Ashton would be such a freak. Dude plays rough."

"She seems to like it. What is on the schedule today?"

The guy flips thru his log. One thing about Faith Ashton being such a bitch
about surprises there is a clear schedule. "Sheís got some stuff with the
baby. Aliceís getting the day off. Little brother is going to work at the
Video store this afternoon and Ned is off to ELQ for a hard day of robber
baroning. X-Zibit is going to be stopping by with a couple of guys from West
Coast Custom. Weíre going to have to pick them up at the airport. Going to get
the Pimp My Ride stuff in the can today. Alice is just about done with
the car. Between the pictures from the beginning to what weíve gotten in the
can in the last 10 days.... weíre set. Got Cameras with audio in the Lincoln
town car, and in the Mercedes Ned drives normally."

"What about the Porsche."

"She sweeps it for bugs and cameras too. She made very sure it was excluded
from the contract. Itís not Nedís car. Itís hers; he bought it for her." The
chitty chat continues until the regular realizes what time it is. "Wait.
Youíve got to see this."

The camera set up at the front door of the cottage catches Ned leaving for the
day. Faith hands him his briefcase and gives him a kiss on the mouth then
straightens his tie. "Dinner is at six. Iím trying a new recipe."

"Call me after Kristinaís appointment." Ned gives her another kiss and then
strides off toward the Mercedes.

Faith watches as he leaves and then catching his eye smiles and waves before
going back into the house.

"You have got to be freaking kidding me! Nobody does that. Itís too June fucking
Cleaver. We canít use that-- nobody would believe it."

"Every morning, when he goes to work like clockwork. Only the dialogue
changes. Sometimes itís a reminder of a dinner out. Something to do with the
kid brother or his grandmother. They do it every morning. And sheís always
like that totally dressed, makeup perfect. No robes and mussed hair. Even
before we got the okay and were doing long range surveillance. Itís like
Stepford, man. Iím thinking using it for the opening. Kinda like you know the
Osbournes do that play off the Adamís Family."

"There is little brother."

The tech reaches over and switches to the kitchen camera. Faith is already
pouring Dillon a cup of coffee as he walks thru the door. Alice is at the
table feeding Kristina. Dillon pulls in a seat across from the baby and makes
a face at her, wrinkling his nose to get her giggling. Alice gives him a
peeved look. Kristina would always rather play but then sheíd get cranky when
she was hungry.

"Sorry."

"Come on, Little Miss. Have a bite. Yum." Even Aliceís version of light and
airy sounds like a drill sergeant calling the new recruits out to a ten mile
hike.

"I need you, Dillon."

"Sure, Faith." Dillonís agreement is automatic.

"If I donít get to the range today..."

"No problem, Faith. I can use the practice too." Dillon had made an agreement
with all the guys. In the interest of keeping Bruno alive, even if he is in
the doghouse, there wasnít going to be any more stress on Faith. "Alice, why
donít we meet you at the babyís d-o-c-t-o-r-s appointment."

"Iíll take it from there, Alice. I made an appointment for you at the Spa.
Those... people arenít going to be here until two. A manicure would be a waste
of money but you might as well get your hair and face done. Let those jerks
know what a real motorhead wet dream looks like."

"Mrs. A, I donít know what to say..." Alice is flabbergasted. She hadnít
expected anything like this.

"And for Christ sake wear something that shows your figure. Youíve got a nice
ass and more rack than those walking hardons would know what to do with. Give
them a peek and maybe they wonít notice your nails."

"Oh Gawd get me out of here." Dillon pleads to the ceiling. Faith throws the
Porsche keys at this head. Dillon catches them neatly and standing up finishes
the last of his coffee. "Really. Iím happy for you, Alice. But Iíve already
got a girlfriend and if I start thinking of you that wayĖ."

"Youíre off the hook, Kid." Alice just shakes her head. "Iíd snap you like a
twig."

Faith grins at that and grabs her purse and starts toward the back door.
Dillon is there to open it for her. He follows her down the ramp and to the
Porsche opening the passenger door for her.

"She is not about to let that kid drive that
Porsche. There is no freaking way
that she would be letting a teenage boy drive that Porsche." The Suit is
shaking his head in disbelief and then rubs his eyes as sure enough Dillon
comes around to the drivers side and climbs in.

The tech guy is already on the phone letting the chase crew know that Faith is
on the move. Because Faith didnít allow any monitoring inside the Porsche it
meant that she was followed by a motorcyclist with a camera mounted to the
front. Theyíd tried it with a car and they hadnít been able to keep up. Mrs.
Faith Ashton got around and quickly. After the chase vehicle is notified, the
guy hangs up. "She always rides shotgun. The only times she drives is if she
is the only one in the car or if sheís driving Edward Quartermaine around."

"They werenít dressed for going golfing."

"Yeah, about that..."

How heíd managed to pick up another job is a source of amazement not only to
him but to his Uncle Cole. And yet here he isĖ four hours a day, five days a
week in the fields behind Queen of Angels. Father Frank had caught him and
Michael working out a couple of weeks ago and all of a sudden heíd become part
of the summer school/ bible camp program. Evidently Futbol is big with the
parishioners of Queen of Angels and it isnít even a World Cup year. Futbol is
big with Father Frank who had been trying to coach the kids himself. But the
priest had a lot of things he had to get done and Godís business always went
to the front of the line. So technically they are co-coaches.

Maxie works mornings anyway. Heíd pull a few hours at Jakes getting things set
up there and then head over here to put the kids through their paces.

Evidently summer school is a huge thing with Queen of Angels. And instead of a
variety of PE it seemed like the kids were rotating onto the soccer field. And
itís okay. Cept for the looks some of those 6th grade girls were
giving him. Definitely going to have to get Maxie over here to run
interference on her day off. And if they werenít practicing their flirting
skills on him then they were crying all over him. Drama. Luckily the little
kids made it worthwhile. They are totally into it but in general so
uncoordinated itís pure luck when a pass actually reached the guy they were
aiming at.

And Skyeís nephew, Michael, is doing the bible study part a couple mornings a
week. Father Frank had pulled AJ aside when theyíd been caught on the field
and theyíd had a long chat. Father Frank had made a case about Michael needing
to get used to Queen of Angels again before September rolled back around. It
wouldnít do for him to be dealing with the fear of being in the place where
his mother was kidnapped and school too. AJ had kept his temper but you could
tell he was about to tell the priest where he could stuff his
unsolicited suggestion. But Michael had been happy to see the priest and had
talked like he assumed heíd be going there rather than to public school. AJ
had folded like a house of cards and justified it all by remembering that the
school is basically in their back yard, unlike the public school which would
involve a bus or a driver.

Kyle calls out to the middle of the field. "Maria, this is soccer, not
ballet-- more feet less arms." He shakes his head. Thing is because of the
little girlís dance class she is the best one on the field moving the ball.
"And pass it around some." Kyle looks down toward the goal. They rotated the
goaltender position because it could be really boring. And just like he
fearedĖ the person who is supposed to be tending goal is actually chasing... a
butterfly. Oh Jees. "Britney, heads up. Theyíre coming your way." Eventually.
Itís like herding cats. What the hell are 4 year olds doing in school anyway?
He glances down at his watch and realizes thankfully that their play period is
almost over. The next group out are the 7 year olds and they actually almost
get it. Or maybe itís just that most of them look like hockey players anyway
with the missing teeth. Kyle blows his whistle and waves the kids in.

The homeroom teacher arrives at the same time. "What do we say, boys and
girls?"

"Thank you, Coach Kyle." There is a chorus of little voices shouting at the
top of their lungs.

Kyle applauds. "Good job, you guys, youíre really looking good out there. Iíll
see you all tomorrow." The two lines of kids come by Kyle and give him a hug
around the knees. It gives him time to give each one a pat on the back and
another chorus of, "Good Job."

Knowing he only
has a few minutes before the next class comes out Kyle
grabs some water from his bag by the fence. When he looks up he sees an
unexpected face on the other side of the fence. "What the hell are you doing
here?"

"I was just bout to ask you the same question." Casey Marcos shakes her head.
"And me without my camera."

One of Lydiaís security force walks across the alleyway. "Can I help you?"

"Itís okay. Sheís my social worker. Lydia and AJ know about it." Kyle vouches
for Marcos. He leans up against the fence. They both wait until the security
guard goes back to the garage on AJís property.

"Scary guy."

"Scary situation. You guys did a home study on them too. Michael Corinthos?"

"Ah." Casey nods. "From the newspapers alone I know that one is a mess."

"Skyeís been keeping Michaelís name and face out of the Herald. Definitely
keep his face out of the paper but sheís got no say on the other bloodsucking
rags. But between the kidís mom getting kidnapped and Lydia being loaded....
Lydia and AJ imported a security force filled with Israeli hit men or
something.

"Israeli hit men." Marcos shakes her head in disbelief. And it seemed that Kyle
was doing so well.

"Government hit men. Massage or something."

"Mossad." Marcos grimaces. "I can safely tell you that would have been a big
old no-no on the home study scale."

"I might have overheard that Sonny Corinthos wouldnít even let you guys do a
home study. Which is why Michael is staying with his father."

"I have no idea." Marcos answers honestly. "Thankfully there is more than one
CPS worker in this county. Seriously, how are things going?"

Kyle shrugs. "Nothing from Mom. If she does come back sheís going to be really
pissed."

"How do you figure?"

"She isnít going to have a place to stay. Uncle Cole rented out the house. One
year lease to start. The rent and stuff is going into a trust Skyeís
accountant set up for me. Uncle Cole says I can use it for college. Skyeís
though... she didnít touch hers just let the accountant work some magic on
it... thatís how she bought the Herald." Kyle makes a clicking noise with his
tongue and gives Marcos a thumbs up.

"Have they thought any more about what I talked to Skye about?" In its own way
itís a test. How is the communication in the house.

"The real Foster Parent thing?" Kyle takes another drink. "I donít think Uncle
Cole is pumped about the idea. And Skye is a ducks in a row person." He is
quick to add. "Donít get me wrong. She deals with stuff and thinks fast but if
she was going to do something major like that then it would be planned out so
that the other person is boxed in to do what she wants. The one year sobriety
thing is an excuse to Uncle Cole but itís huge to Skye. You get Skye to go for
it... Uncle Cole will make it work. But you arenít going to get Skye until her
year is in."

Marcos nods her head consideringly. "I guess that makes sense." She sighs.

"Why? You got someone you need a place for?"

"Unfortunately just bout always." Marcos sighs again. "Okay, Kyle, weíre back
to where we were. Iíll do some record checks to make sure youíre keeping it
real. If something major, like your mom showing up happens, let me know. If
you need me just callĖ okay? You still have my card?" Marcos reaches into the
messenger bag across her body and pulls out her cards. She hands Kyle another.
She starts to walk away and turns around. "You figure out yet that you have a
real good thing going?"

"Yeah. I get it. Figured that one out right about the time I walked into my
house and all the furniture was gone."

Stefan isnít surprised when Faith shows up at the park without her normal
entourage. Itís just her, the baby and one bodyguard. He shudders. The idea of
being under constant scrutiny of cameras and secret microphones is offensive.
When the film crew had practically moved in he could see the tension in his
nieceís step-mother. Faith had informed him through gritted teeth that the
bunkhouse on the property is off limit to the cameras and her guys would still
be looking for Helena but that if he had any news about her that he should
contact the bunkhouse number and talk to someone called-- Mouse.

He is also not
particularly surprised that rather than her normal taunts, Faith hands the
baby over to him and takes a position a few steps away. Like the other body
guard her focus is anything perceived to be a threat to
Kristina. And he isnít. Of course if he tried to leave with the baby that
would be another situation all together. "Hello Kristina, how are you this
morning?" Stefanís voice is light and loving. He gives the child a kiss and
caress over the top of her head and then remembering Nikolas at that age takes a
seat on the bench. He holds Kristinaís hands while she stands by the bench and
tests her legs. "Soon you will be into everything."

"Sheís already into everything." Faith snarks from the
short distance away. She
glances over to Bruno who is still on her list and gives a quick nonverbal
signal. He walks over and gives Faith a clean phone. Moving away a couple more
steps, she takes care of the calls that just canít wait. The afternoon and
evening are going to be shot. Nothing is going to get done down at the
bunkhouse with those Pimp My Ride people doing their thing.
Aliceís project car is in the garage attached to the bunkhouse. Everything had
to be put away so that those wide angle lens werenít picking up something that
was none of their business. And you could bet as soon as news got out about
this MTV fiasco that the FBI or whatever local authority would be going after
the footage trying to trip her up on something, anything. "There is bread in
the bag to feed the d-u-c-k-s." Faith looks over her shoulder at Cassadine.
The phone is still by her ear. She gives attention back to the phone. "Yeah,
Iím here. Donít make me come down there. We have a contract. You will get the
work done just as you promised. That is not my problem. Youíre so funny. Do
you really think Iím going to sue you if you donít get it done? Iím hurt.
Bruno, do I look hurt?"

Faithís voice drops lower. "I wonít be the one hurting if the work doesnít get
done by the time the next contractor comes in." Faith clicks the off button on
the phone to disconnect the call. She glances over at Bruno.

Bruno nods again. No problem. Heíd check on things in the morning.

The paper is about 75% laid out with about 6 hours to go until the 10:30pm
deadline. Early stories are already placed. Ads already set. What the hell did
they do before computers? Oh yeah, do everything by hand. Space is set aside
for the big stories that are going to come in late, baseball games and the
like. The paper might run round the clock but a lot of people still liked to
get out of the office by 5pm and there is still an hour to go until that. Skye
digs through her desk for something to munch on, just something to tide her
over until she could leave. Darn taking to the last minute reporters. All of a
sudden there is a moment of unnatural silence. Skye pops up from behind her
desk. "What was that?"

"The power is out."

"Oh no, itís not."

"Oh yes, it is."

"Generator."

"Already calling. But it should kick on automatically." The receptionist
counters. Sure enough the totally inadequate emergency lights kick on in the
hallway.

Skye walks out to the reporters bull pen. "What the hell is going on?"

Someone calls out covering the mouth piece on their phone. "Down in
Manhattan."

"Down in Toronto too." Someone else calls out. There is a moment of silence as
everyone realizes that the front page is going to have to be redone. This is a
BIG story.

The Editor starts calling out assignments. And since he is old school lets
them in on a few secrets. "Get out the pens and pads, boys and girls. Your
laptops and recorders are only as good as your batteries. Use landlines for
the phone cause I got a dollar here that says your cell isnít going to work in
about ten minutes; itíll be like 9/11 all over again. No power to cell towers
equals no cellsĖ Got it?! I want to know if this was a terrorist attack. I
want to know if the nuke plants are involved."

"Boss, it could be just
because freaking hot." The optimist in the group offers.

"Right youíre on the weather aspect. Find out if this was an unplanned rolling
blacknout or something. Move people! I want to know what the hell is going on
before the lights come back on."

"What do you need me to do?" Skye offers.

The Editor looks at the owner of the paper. If he would have just given her a
job then he wouldnít have her as a boss and donít think that he ever forgot
that. "Find facilities make sure that nobody is stuck in any elevators. Heat
rises; need to get people from the upper floors down here so nobody passes out
from the heat. Even if this only lasts fifteen minutes itís going to be news.
Canadaís involved?! Weíre going to have to divert all generator power to the
presses. If we canít get an edition out we might as well send everyone home."

Skye nods in agreement. "And then?"

The Editor already knows that Skye is going to delegate. "Take a walk. Weíre
half an hour from rush hour. Are we going to have buses, trains, traffic
signals? Is the man on the street going to start throwing bricks through
windows?"

Skye nods again. "You got it. Iíll be back in about half an hour." She stops
to brief the receptionist who is going to have to be the hub where facilities
are concerned and grabs her purse. She is already on the phone to the one
person she knows who is over-reliant on his cell phone. "Kyle? Itís Skye. Iím
going to talk fast. There is probably only going to be about 5 more minutes of
cell service before the towers are overwhelmed. Iím going to be at work. Find
a land line and call your uncle and let him know okay? Where are you going to
be? Kellyís? Are you sure thatís a good idea? Okay. Well be carefulĖ the
traffic signals arenít working. Iíll try to call later once I know how bad
this is going to be." Skye says her goodbye and then puts her cell phone back
in her bag and pulls out a small mini recorder. Like Lila, sheíd learned to get
her thoughts down quickly before the next thought occurred. Taking the
editorís advice she is very conservative with the batteries as she walks the
area around the Herald.

"Oh you have got to be freaking kidding me." Faith protests as the power goes
out. First things first she picks up the phone. "Yeah, Reggie. Power out there
too? Good, good that makes sense. Well tell her I checked in and everything is
fine over here other than the power. Iíd come over and give the Old Man hell
for her but Iíve got a property full of guests I suspect arenít going to be
heading back to the hotel anytime soon." Turning the heat down on the stove,
gas luckily, she picks up Kristina and heads out to the bunkhouse where the
guys from West Coast Custom and XZibit have been doing their thing. "Mouse?"

"On it, Faith." Mouse is already heading back to his hidey hole. He and the
guys had been hanging around watching the show. "Oh man this sucks."

"What?!"

"Dial up. The cable is out. This is going to take awhile."

"Manny, take a couple of guysĖ do a perimeter check. It isnít just us but
whoís saying someone wouldnít take advantage." I would if all these people
werenít here. This constant surveillance has been screwing her out of taking
advantage of Jason and Sonnyís recent absence from Port Charles.

"On it, Faith." The guns come out as the guys start checking the property.

"Bruno?"

"Yeah, Faith."

"Our guest stay right here until after the perimeter check. I donít want
anyone to get shot... by accident."

"Right, Faith."

Alice comes over and takes Kristina. "Iíve got this one. Best time for this to
happen. Weíve got hours of light yet. This could all be fixed before dark.
Just be a little adventure. Not even as challenging as that wilderness
training I did back in the day." Her gruff voice is reassuring.

"Oh man." Bruno groans.

"What now?!" Faith demands.

"I made an Ice cream run yesterday. We got a freezer full and the bunkhouse is
totally electric."

"You heard the lady: Jamoca Almond Fudge, Rocky Road? Iíve got about ten
different kinds here. We got to eat it before it turns into a puddle." The
guests from out of town are just shaking their head. Where in the hell are
they and what happened to reality?

Inside the house, Alice asks. "Mrs. Q okay?"

"Yeah, they have had a generator over there for a million years because of the
elevator. Reggie says sheís got a full charge on her chair and a spare battery
just in case."

Alice grimaces. "Sorry. I knew that. I tuned up the generator before I left.
You really think they arenít going to be leaving?"

"What floor were they on at the hotel?"

Alice winces again. "They took the penthouse."

"Set the kitchen table up as a buffet. If we can get this on the table soon
enough they can eat outside. Like you said weíve got four hours or more of
light. They can crash at the bunkhouse or back at the hotel I could give a
rats ass."

"It was going really well,
Mrs. A."

"Iím glad, Alice. Because now weíre the ones paying the piper. As soon as
Manny gives the all clear set up the area between the bunkhouse and the house
like itís a big freaking party. The guys have a boom box. Put on some tunes.
Let them all kick around and tell stories about all the groupies theyíve
gotten freebies off of."

Out in the MTV productions surveillance van, "Are you getting all this?"

"Oh yeah, all the cameras are on battery back up. Weíre getting everything. We
have the feeds from the Pimp My Ride too. Weíre going to get guys into
the bunkhouse."

"Itís like an armed camp. She might put a shiny face on it but they just went
on red alert or something."

Just then there is a pounding on the door. "You guys okay in there?"

"Donít let them see we still have power." The Suit makes a quick decision.
"This is just starting to get interesting."

"I think we should wait to turn on the generator until it starts getting
dark." AJ suggests to Lydia. As soon as the power had gone out heíd headed
home from the office. The only thing that would have been better is if the
blackout had happened on a Friday instead of a Thursday. If everything that
was being said on the radio is true then itís going to be a long weekend. The
estimates are now that power may be on by 1am. But the problem stretches all
the way to the Midwest and up into Canada. The only thing everyone seems to be
confident is that it wasnít a terrorist attack. Just plain old weather plus
human error cascading cross country.

"Itís come in handy." Lydia nods. "Itís probably going to get very hot up
stairs and it will be unbearable if we start cooking. We should probably plan
on staying on this floor until the power comes back on. So much for painting
the nursery this weekend. Canít run the fans to suck the fumes out."

"Weíve got time." AJ cuddles her close as they watch Michael play with Rosie
in the back yard. "And it looks like Iím going to have to break out that
monster gas grill. Really Iíd planned on having it like lawn art, not actually
use it."

"Should I call Bobbie?" Lydia looks back over her shoulder.

"Honestly? Maybe." AJ grins. "Maybe one of the security guys knows how to run
it. Iím sure we can fumble thru without blowing anything up."

"Iím going to call Bobbie." Lydia replies.

"Oh yea of little faith." AJ jokes.

"Youíre the one that mentioned blowing things up." Lydia retorts.

AJ opens up the back door. "Hey Michael! Why donít you get Rosieís l-e-a-s-h
and weíll walk over to Grandma Bobbieís house to see how sheís doing."

"Okay!" Michael runs toward the house with the dog on his heels.

As soon as the two of them are gone, Sally comes up to Lydia who is watching
them walk up the street toward Bobbieís. "If the power is still out tomorrow
Iím going to need the day off."

"Oh?" Lydia still has a wee bit of trouble with the staffís habit of telling
rather than asking.

"You know my dad does the Meals on Wheels
for the elderly? He splits his route
up, you know, some on Tuesdays and Thursdays and some on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday. If this doesnít break then heíll do his whole route tomorrow checking
everyone for heat stroke. He made sure they all have fans but fans are useless
without electricity."

"How horrible." Lydia grimaces. "Of course you have to help him. Wait a
second." Lydia walks quickly to the study with Sally on her heels. "I know
itís in here somewhere. I know itís here. Yes. Now hopefully they are still
there." Lydia picks up the phone and dials a number from Lilaís 4th
of July to do list. "Yes, Port Charles Ice? This is Lydia Quartermaine.
We spoke often around the 4th when we were putting on Lila Quartermaineís Independence Day celebration? I am going to need a full truck
of ice and a driver tomorrow at the..."

"Port Charles Senior Center."

Lydia repeats what Sally had prompted. "Oh yes, the sooner the better. Seven
AM sounds lovely before the day gets too hot."

"Thanks, Lydia."

"Oh donít thank me yet. Youíll have tomorrow off with my blessing and full pay
but I will try to rope you into helping me paint that nursery, probably on
your day off, just as soon as the power is back on."

"Deal." Sally smiles.

Cole lights another candle and puts it out along the bar. The place is
normally dark but abnormally so because of the black out. Theyíd thrown the
door open for a little light and some asshole has the music cranked on his car
out in the parking lot but in general things donít change much. The beer is
still running and the whiskey is being served neat. And as long as they didnít
start getting into the coolers, hopefully the contents would even stay cold.
The one thing that isnít running is the dishwasher so everyone is hanging on
to their own glasses and just bringing them up for a refill. Doing dishes by
hand sucks. But heíd do it when he had to. Kyle is going to have a hell of a
to do list in the morning.

The core of regulars that could run the place is supplemented by all the
people who have no clue what else to be doing with the power out. Cole knows
what he would be doing if he wasnít here but then sighs. Skye is at work too.
This is a big story. He might as well stay at the bar, Skye isnít going to be
home until this is about over or she fell out from exhaustion and Kyle is at
Kellyís. The Police Commissioner is on duty so the girls were hanging at
Kellyís where at least there was company, and something to do. Mac didnít seem
to mind Kyle hanging around Maxie if there is work involved. Itís the idle
hands that he worried about, with good reason.

"Cole, could I get another pitcher?"

"Sure no problem." Cole grabs the pitcher and refills it. He takes the money
and stuffs it in a bank bag under the counter next to the baseball bat and the
shot gun. Damn electric cash registers. Cole pounces on the phone just as soon
as it rings. Everyone in the place falls silent. Cole got these calls
periodically and it is like a touch of the outside world. He covers the
mouthpiece as Skye updates the situation and calls out the news. "The power
company is aware of the problem." There is a roar of laughter and applause at
that one-- considering the power company is sitting in the dark too. "Power
out all the way to Ohio and Michigan. Ports are shut down because they canít
do their inspections. Canada is saying this is all our fault blaming it on
some squirrel in Ohio. May be power back by 1am. That is all." Everyone goes
back to their beers as they discuss the latest information. Cole finally gets
to talk to Skye. "Are you okay?"

"Oh this is great!" Skye says enthusiastically. "This is exactly the reason
why I wanted to work here. There is going to be Herald delivered on
schedule tomorrow, Cole. They will have the latest information that we can
provide. Weíre already working up stories for tomorrow and the rest of the
week. This is huge, Cole. This isnít supposed to happen. I mean come on-- a
squirrel in Ohio?"

"Isnít there some fruity saying about a butterfly in South America?"

"Oh youíre brilliant! Brilliant! I have to go. You just gave me an idea for
the editorial page. Iíll call just as soon as the paper goes to press. I
should be able to get away then. Love you!" Skye hangs up before Cole can
answer.

Cole stares at
the phone. Trust that the first time Skye ever said the L word; itís a throw away line at the end of a conversation. Still... "Next round is
on me. Bring up your glasses."

"If I eat anymore Iím going to explode." The crew of Pimp My Ride is
crashed out on the lawn. Faith had strongly separated herself from the whole
interview process having it be all about Alice and the car. Her guys had put
their two cents in, at least those who are absolutely sure they have no wants
or warrants anywhere in the United States or Canada. "No wonder the guy quit
touring. Would you leave if you had that waiting for you at home? Was that the
Italian version of soul food?"

Alice comes over with more food. "No leftovers, guys. The fridge may not hold
out until morning. Youíve got to eat it."

"Oh damn. Well if we have to..." They sit up happily and reach for the bowls.
This is literally what would be the leftovers put in the fridge so they are
pretty much licking the bowls clean. Alice sits down with the guys. She sees
this as being her crew. They have so much in common. Well at least cars. "Does
she cook like this all the time?"

"Heck no." Alice nips that thought in the bud. "Mrs. A has too many things
going on to do it up like this all the time. But she does know how to set a
table. Nobody head hunts her people. They canít match the benefits." Realizing
that loose lips sink ships, Alice changes the subject." So what does next
season look like... what are you guys working on?"

Over at the picnic table, Faith joins Ned, XZibit and the Suit from the
network talking music news and trends. She has the baby monitor with her.
Thank goodness something runs on batteries. "Dillon called; heís still at
Kellyís. Itís evidently teenage hormone central. But every flatfoot in the
city is rotating thru there for their doughnuts and coffee since the Police
Commissionerís kids are there."

Ned slides over and makes a spot for Faith. "Kristina go down okay?"

Faith nods and looks over at the others. "No offense, guys, but Iíll be happy
when you are all gone and the babyís routine can get back to normal." She lies
thru her teeth, well at least in part because she really doesnít care if they
take offense.

The Network Suit nods. "Iíll be happy just to have the power back on. Itís
very entertaining now but this is going to cost money, lots of money."

"Speaking of that, anyone for some Texas Hold Em? Friendly game just to pass
the time." Ned suggests oh so innocently.

Bobbie and one of the security guys man the big gas grill. AJ had hung around
for a while just to get some pointers but seeing that itís handled heíd gone
over to the folding chairs to sit with his wife. "They seem to have everything
in hand. Worked out well. Bobbie was kind of at loose ends. Taggart was called
in of course and Lucas is at Kellyís with his cousins and friends. "

"Itís quite lovely really. Dining late is so... continental" Lydia leans over
and gives AJ a kiss. "When was the last time you saw all those stars?"

AJ tilts his head back. "Probably not since boarding school. St. Swithens is
out in the middle of nowhere. It cuts down on students trying to run away. And
back then I wasnít interested in checking out the stars."

Bobbie comes over and pulls up a familiar folding chair. They must have come
out of AJís hummer from all of the trips to the soccer fields. "Sally has
informed me she has it from here."

"We do appreciate you coming over, Bobbie. Because of the generator we could
have eaten inside I know but it would have been so hot in the house after.
Hopefully this way the house will still be cool enough to sleep."

"My logic exactly." Bobbie agrees. "Even if you had decided to cook, I would
have come over rather than heating up my kitchen."

AJ glances around to see Michael who is at the far side of the yard with
Rosie. "Any word on Carly." He keeps his voice low.

"Somethingís happened." Bobbieís voice isnít happy. "We found out why Jason
could never find where that bastard Ric was keeping Carly."

"Why?"

"There was a Panic Room in the house Ric was staying in. When they finally got
in there they found chains on the wall, a cot and a crib. A crib!"

Lydia puts a protective hand over her stomach. "That is awful. Itís insane!"
She glances a concerned eye over toward poor Michael.

"Okay so where is Carly?"

"Jason and Sonny have left for South America. They think Alcazar has her.
About the time Ric reported a home invasion only because he was seeking
medical attention; you understand. I donít think he actually wanted the cops
to show up but he had a nasty bump on his head, concussion. Thatís when the
police got to finally see the room. They are doing forensic stuff to figure
out if Carly was there. But Alcazarís yacht left the same day as Ric made the
report."

"This might actually be good news for Carly, Bobbie." AJ says slowly. "Ric
Lansing was clearly crazy. If Alcazar has Carly itís because he wants
something from Sonny. Hopefully this means theyíll be able to make a deal with
the guy."

"I hope youíre right." Bobbie says grimly. She remembers perfectly all the
trouble Carly had giving birth to Michael. Sheíd been there for most of it.
Carly had barely survived and that was in a US hospital with every possible
care and test available. "I hope this will be over soon."